


Episode 53: Goodbye

by PitoyaPTx



Series: Clan Meso'a [53]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture, Mandalorna Clans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23752891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitoyaPTx/pseuds/PitoyaPTx
Summary: "There's a message for you." ~unknown warriorCara says goodbye to her temporary home.
Series: Clan Meso'a [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1261364
Kudos: 1





	Episode 53: Goodbye

“You never told me about them.”  
“Hm?”  
“About the moons.”   
Jecho turned over onto her back and looked up at the pearly, cratered masses drifting towards the horizon. The sun was barely peeking over the West now, but both she and Cara had given up on getting any semblance of sleep. They were lying on their backs on the third level of the Toch’akjah, waiting for Aviila and Niri to finish up with the council. Cara’s panic attack, which reared its ugly head the moment they left the council chamber, subsided only a few minutes prior and Jecho hadn’t expected her to want to talk.   
“What about them,” she asked.   
Cara shrugged, “It seems like everything here has a story.”   
“Well,” Jecho said, crossing her arms behind her head and lekku, “There was a story I’d heard about them. It’s a little fantastical. Want to hear it?”  
“Sure.”   
“They say that when Rahast ruled over the planet from the sky, it was dangerous to go out alone at night because she might scoop you up and eat you. Of course, it was just a story to keep children from wandering out into the dark, but some believed it to be true. They thought the only way to be safe at night was to cover yourself in mud and sneak along the ground so she couldn’t tell the difference between you and a shadow. One day, a pair of warriors from the Dunuul Enad decided they wanted to get an edge over the Chochoma Enad in their next battle, so they planned to do extra training at night. With the stars providing no light, the pair decided to go into one of the caves by the seaside and light torches so they could see. They did this night after night for a month, until they were discovered by mud-covered Chochoma Enad trying to sneak into the Dunuul Enad encampment. The pair grabbed their torches and ran to tell their comrades, but the torches alerted Rahast. She scooped them up into the air to eat them, but the fire from their torches burned her face, so she swatted them away. Instead of falling to the ground, they became trapped in the air, because she swatted them so hard they flew over the ground and around the other side.” Jecho made a swirling motion with one finger, “The moons are rounded because of the tumbling motion of their bodies and their proximity was explained as them having held onto each other when Rahast scooped them up.”   
“They held onto each other?” asked Cara, lazily tracing one of the moons with her finger.   
“Some like to change them from being warriors to lovers.”   
“Do you think they were?”  
Jecho looked at her, “You know moons are just large rocks that get trapped in orbit around other big rocks, right?”  
Cara shrugged, “It just… seems like a nice thought. That they loved each other and can stay with each other forever.”   
“At least we’re together,” said Lyse in Jecho’s mind. Instead of the moons beaming down from above it was Vonni’s face beaming up from the hospital bed. Lyse was beside her with a hand on her shoulder; Teika was still leaning against the wall looking anxious and jumpy. Outside, Beun, Beon, and Fent were talking with Jiik. She could hear the ambient noise and commotion of the medbay; she could see the kolto drip and the medical droid sorting pills at the counter. The warmth of the Meso’kaan sun felt so distant and foreign as the fantom cold of the Ordo medbay washed over her. She looked to her left, but Cara was gone, replaced by a shelf full of medical supplies. A shiver ran down her spine; she was wearing a tattered shirt and loose trousers; she’d forgotten they hadn’t changed after being rescued from Fa’athra’s.   
“We won’t be, not forever,” she said to them once she found her voice, “I’m going to leave you soon.” They didn’t respond, they couldn’t. It was just a memory, but it hurt like it was happening in real time. She could still feel the weight of Lyse’s hand and without thinking she reached for her shoulder and felt the spot where it had been...where her best friend had been.   
“Do you think...Aviila will forgive me?” Cara’s voice cut through her thoughts.  
She blinked, warmth suddenly rushing back to her along with the silence of the Toch’akjah.   
“Forgive you? For what?”  
Cara shrugged again and turned onto her side away from Jecho, “For… for being glad to leave?” 

Aviila armed the door to her house and stepped back from it. She lingered for a moment, surveying the various scrapes and smudges where playful Chochoma had bumped into it, where she’d kicked the door control one time when her hands were full, and where a drunken Niri had thrown a bottle of something at it one night instead of knocking on the door like a normal person. She could have smiled behind the helmet, but instead she frowned and turned away. Behind her, Jecho and Cara were watching her, neither daring to say anything. Aviila stooped and lifted a sack of packaged rations over her shoulder.   
“Let’s go,” she said, not waiting to hear their reply and walking off down the hill.   
“Come on,” said Jecho, leading both Cara and a hovering cart after Aviila.   
As they walked through town, many stopped to watch them. Most looked grave or concerned, a few looked on them with pity. Alor Yaun made the entirety of the deliberation public, and therefore the entire planet knew who Cara and Jecho were and why they were leaving. It was clear that many were unhappy to have outsiders like them living in close proximity. Outsiders with ties to another Clan raised a lot of concerns about safety and security. Following their departure, Yaun promised to declassify all of the reports Aviila had been collecting over her eight year absence, something Cara half-wished she’d be able to see. However, as she took one last look at the fountain, at the Crusaders, at Greta smiling up at her, Cara knew she’d never see this place or anyone from it ever again.   
At the edge of the village, in a field adjacent to the festival grounds, a ship was idling on a raised stone slab with several groups of people waiting beside it. Of them, Cara saw Koucitesh, Barsul, Meiri, Taerh’a, and-  
“Come here, kex’ika,” said Baba Tam, spreading her arms out and hobbling toward the approaching quartet.   
Cara disengaged from Jecho and jogged to meet her, accepting her embrace wholeheartedly. Tam hugged her tight and rocked back and forth, then pulled away and cupped her face.   
“Ko Cara,” she said, putting her forehead to Cara’s, “Kad ven’se’tik.” [Dear Cara, Kad will go before you.]  
“Kad will protect you,” translated Jecho, taking Tam’s hand as she extended it.   
“Kad ven’se’tik, Jecho,” the Mirialan said, putting Jecho’s hand to her forehead.   
Jecho wiped her eyes on the back of her free hand and muttered her thanks. Baba Cho stepped forward next and did the same to both Cara and Jecho; Weiyn did likewise, although she held Jecho a moment longer.   
“The Ordo, you trust them?” she asked in hushed tones.   
“I do, Baba.”   
Weiyn nodded but said, “I don’t,” before pulling away and stepping back to her husband’s side.   
Jecho nodded politely; Cara watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye as Koucitesh and her entourage approached.   
“Your visit was brief,” began the Alor, kneeling before her, “but I hope it was pleasant?”  
Cara shrugged, “I didn’t get to know any of you that well.”   
Koucitesh gave a half smile then pointed to Tam, Weiyn, and Cho, “I think they’d say otherwise. They seem to have adopted you, kex’ika.”   
Cara looked back at them. They were watching her and Koucitesh, Tam looking sad, Cho concerned, but Weiyn looked angry. A shiver ran down Cara’s spine, but she forced herself to look away.   
“[I adopted many],” came Dendona’s gravely voice in the back of her mind.   
“-and that’s why I want to apologize,” someone was saying.   
Cara blinked, realizing she was no longer with Koucitesh, but her husband. Looking at him, at his weathered features, a sudden realization took hold of her.   
“You’re Weiyn’s son,” she said.   
He tilted his head in surprise, “Yes… I told you that just yesterday.”   
Cara flushed, “Oh...you did?”  
“Yes, but her name is Chanweiyn. Maybe that’s why you were confused?”   
“I..guess..yes, sorry!”   
He shook his head, “No need to worry, but you accept my apology?”   
“I...yes, I do,” said Cara, knowing she hadn’t heard what he was apologizing for but putting on a smile nonetheless.   
He frowned slightly, but accepted it with a nod. When he stood, he muttered something to his wife before walking back to where Barsurl and Meiri were standing by the elders.   
“He is just concerned,” said Koucitesh, coming to Cara’s side and putting an arm around her, “We do not meet true outsiders often.”   
“True outsiders?”   
Koucitesh shook her head, “I would say ‘another time, kex’ika’, but we are out of time,” the older woman took Cara by the shoulders and turned her so they were face to face, “Kad ven’se’tik, Cara,” she said, leaning forwards and putting their foreheads together. She lingered for a moment, and Cara, looking up into her eyes, saw something… sad? Cara felt compelled to ask what was wrong, and she almost did had she not felt another hand on her shoulder.   
“We need to go,” said Jecho softly, taking Cara gently from Koucitesh.   
“It’s time, then?” asked the older woman, standing back and putting her hands on her hips.   
“It is,” said Aviila from the gangplank as she walked back down to them.   
She approached Koucitesh, lifted her visor, and embraced her.   
“Ra u’luk’ta, ner’ad?” [You’re leaving me again, daughter?]   
“Me bana? Ra tir’baat.” [What’s happened? You never worried.]  
Koucitesh shook her head and pulled away, holding Aviila at arm’s length, “I never had to worry before,” she said so softly only Aviila could hear.   
The Twi’lek glanced over at Jecho and Cara waiting expectantly at the foot of the gangplank.   
“Ret’urcye mhi, ner’ad,” said Koucitesh, looking into Aviila’s eyes as if trying to pour into her the fears gnawing on the edges of her mind.   
Aviila held her gaze, then smiled and embraced her again.   
“Lay’alie, besides,” she chuckled, “I don’t want to miss the conference. Palouta is going to skin me alive!” [Always].   
Despite herself, Koucitesh laughed and headbutted the side of Aviila’s helmet, “Not if I have anything to say about it! Don’t you worry,” she added as Aviila walked away, “He’s going to get an earful from me if he tries anything.”   
Aviila waved behind her and when she reached Jecho and Cara, she put her arms around them both and squeezed them tight.   
“We’re going to be in there,” she nodded towards the ship, “for a long time. Are you ready?”   
Both women looked at each other, startled by Aviila’s sudden change in mood, but they nodded. Jecho added:   
“Yes, but I was wondering, Aviila-”  
“Hm?”  
“Since we’re leaving… I can take this off, right?” she gestured to the dress and collar. 

Barsurl and Meiri were the only ones not waving when the ship took off from the landing pad, although some were more enthusiastic than others. Weiyn in particular looked far more like waving was a formality than a sincere expression of melancholy, but that changed when Cho put an arm around her and kissed her cheek. What he said to her was for them only, and after giving their son’s shoulder a pat, they set off back down the hill. Tam followed shortly after. Taerh’a watched their progress until they were specks of color against the sea of emerald. When he could no longer see them, he returned his gaze to the ship rapidly gaining altitude. The higher it rose, the worse his anxieties became. This was, after all, unprecedented.   
Cara lingered by the door as the gangplank lifted, sealing her off from the warm Meso’kaan air. A gust burst through the closing gap and ruffled her skirt; a part of her wished to bottle it up and take it with her as a memento of this odd chapter in her life. What would she tell Fent and Beon about it? Would she be able to remember everything? Well, Jecho would just fill in the gaps probably, she thought, turning slowly from the closed door and entering the ship proper. Her back to it felt cold and she shivered again. Something deep inside her wanted to look back, but she swallowed hard and pushed forward to the ladder.   
She wasn’t sure if this was the same ship Aviila had when they first met, but it had a similar layout: an open entry area full of crates with a door to the engine room, a ladder up to a smaller room with a console and holotable, an adjacent room with bunks and a refresher, and a another small room full of various crates between the holotable-room and the cockpit. Cara climbed the ladder slowly, careful not to step on her dress, then entered the crew quarters and sat on her bunk. Beside her, a familiar brown heap of fabric awaited her.   
“What do you think?” Jecho asked, spinning on the spot in a bright red flight suit.   
Cara giggled, “You wore that? All the time?”   
“And what if I did?” laughed Jecho, holding her arms out and inspecting the sleeves, “Although, I think I’ve grown a bit since I last wore it.”   
“It’s our water,” said Aviila from the cockpit, “Lots of vitamins from the mountains. Most people change after partaking of it.”   
Cara frowned, looking at how her coveralls now sat above her ankles. It was odd enough being in a loose shirt after over a month in the Chibala’s robes. She hadn’t realized how tight the jumpsuit and breastplate had been against her until she took them off now for longer than a quick shower. She found herself swinging her arms back and forth and skipping around the room between the cockpit and holotable as if subconsciously enjoying the freedom she’d once taken for granted. A part of her felt bad about retiring the dress, vin’ka disks, and headband. She never found out exactly what it was like to be a Chibala, or what Chibala really were, and now she never would. As she stowed them into a bag provided by Aviila, her stomach did a backflip.   
“Wait!” she shouted, dropping the disks and racing to the cockpit, “Can I send a message?”  
Aviila glanced back at her, “A message, to whom?”  
“Um,” she flushed, “To Tavut.. I want to say goodbye.”   
Aviila smiled and turned to a display on her left, “Go ahead. I’ll record it and have it sent back before we get too far out.”   
“Thanks!” 

“What is this?” asked Palouta, walking up to the holotable in the council chambers.   
“She wants to send a message to Tavut,” explained Aviila over the feed, “Is that not allowed?”  
“It’s alright,” Dedel said before Palouta could retort, “Send it to one of my villages and they’ll get the message to him.”   
The mini Aviila projection nodded and began punching in something on her dashboard.   
“They’re listening?” asked Cara, feeling her face grow hot.   
“I can mute them during your message,” assure Aviila.   
“No you-” Palouta began but was cut off with a quick keystroke.   
“Go ahead, Cara,” she said, moving her chair along its track away from the console. 

“I um,” she cleared her throat, “Su cuy’gar, Tavut. Ta… um… I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye. You… looked really sad last time I saw you. I feel bad...for not..saying something, maybe? I don’t know,” she glanced at Aviila who’d clapped ahead over her mouth to hide her grin, “But I wanted to… I want to wish you luck and… I won’t forget you. Sorry for..hitting you with a roll of foil...and getting mad at you for being a bad teacher… Don’t ...let anyone make you feel less for… for something you can’t control… Goodbye.” She nodded awkwardly and stepped away from the console.   
“That was..beautiful, Cara,” said Jecho, giving her a hug.   
“Yeah...but did you press down the button, you know, to record that or?” chuckled Aviila.   
“I..what?!”   
“Just joking!” she laughed, letting go of a small blue button on the display in front of her.   
Cara gasped, “Did you record that too?!”   
“Uh-huh!”   
“Aviila!”


End file.
